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He couldn’t tell which of the two of them reached the peak first—but the wave of pleasure was so strong that for a few seconds he couldn’t even see, his body shuddering in the grips of his orgasm, Inota’s cries of pleasure ringing in his ears. They found themselves tangled in each other’s arms, gasping for breath, bodies damp with sweat… and Callan felt all the weariness of the last few days returning with a vengeance.
“I’m going to miss you,” Inota whispered, so quietly he thought he’d dreamed it. Callan froze, the thought of sleep quickly banished from his mind again.
“What?”
“When they put me in jail.” He drew her close, wrapped an arm around her shoulders. “Promise you’ll visit me?”
“Did the Queen say something?”
“No, but I can read the writing on the wall.” Inota nestled her head against his chest, heaving a sigh so wistful it almost broke his heart. “Don’t get me wrong, I’d much prefer jail here than the Guild, but…”
“If you’re in jail, I’ll be there too,” he mumbled against her ear. “For helping you. Alright? We’ll be cellmates.”
“Cellmates and soulmates.” She laughed, and it was just about the most beautiful sound he’d ever heard. “Callan?”
“Yes?”
He held his breath as the silence stretched out, worried she was about to drop another bombshell on him. But then he looked down and saw she was fast asleep. Would the Queen punish her, he wondered? Would the Prince ever forgive her for what she’d done? These were all serious considerations, of course—but right now, they belonged to a future that he didn’t care about. Not when the present was so full of utter delight.
Callan drew the love of his life close… then fell into the deepest and most restful sleep of his life.
Chapter 28 - Inota
It was like being in a dream, Inota reflected. Like being lost in the depths of the most beautiful dream she’d ever had, a growing part of her terrified that pretty soon she was going to wake up and return to reality. Every day, she braced herself for the inevitable moment that the happiness she’d found would be torn away from her. And every day, the grim fate she kept imagining for herself completely failed to materialize.
The day after the Guild representatives departed, for example. She’d dragged herself before the Queen, convinced she was about to be condemned to life in prison at best. Instead, she’d learned that ever since she’d appeared before the Court on that first day, Cato had been talking the ear off every influential dragon in the Valley about her. Telling her story. Vouching for her good nature, her ability to be better than the life she’d ended up with.
Inota had barely believed it, when the Queen offered her a chance to show them who she really was. It had felt like a trap… still felt like a trap, in fact. They were just going to let her live here, with Callan? What was the catch? When were they going to start manipulating her into doing their evil bidding? Callan only laughed when she told him her fears, though there was affection in his eyes when he did.
“Haven’t you ever heard of second chances?” he asked.
“I don’t deserve second chances,” she said blankly. “I tried to kidnap the Queen. Don’t you remember? I impersonated the Prince, I attacked the kingdom, I—”
“So did Cato. But Queen Lana trusted that he could change, and he proved her right.”
“But how can you be sure I’m not going to betray you? How can any of you be sure?”
“We can’t, I suppose.” Callan looked at her. “But you gave me a very good piece of advice, once, back when you were still my teacher.”
She couldn’t help the smile that twitched at the corner of her lips, despite the seriousness of the conversation. “And what was that?”
“You told me to trust you.” He drew her into a hug, stifling her protest that trusting her had been a terrible idea. “We all trust you. Whether or not that’s a mistake… well, that’s all on you, now.”
And now… now, she’d been living there for a whole month. The length of the semester break at Brisant, in fact. They were celebrating with a meal together in the Palace—Cato, Acantha, Morgan, Archer, Callan and Inota, all sipping wine and sharing stories. She still felt like an impostor among them, but every time Callan smiled at her, she could feel her guard lowering just a fraction more. Slowly but surely, she was beginning to believe that these people could be her friends. Day by day, she was accepting that she might just be safe here.
“A sad day,” Cato intoned solemnly, lifting a wine glass. “For tomorrow, these three nerds leave us once more for their ivory tower.”
“It’s more of an ivory volcano,” Morgan pointed out. “And I, for one, would like to raise a special toast in appreciation for Callan’s triumphant return to Brisant.”
“No thanks to me,” Inota said drily, pleased when the quip won her a laugh. Things had been stiff and awkward with Callan’s friends for a while there, but she was beginning to find her place in the little group. It helped, of course, that Callan hadn’t been expelled from Brisant, something they’d all been worried about for a while there.
“Considerable thanks to you,” Callan corrected her. “I still think the letter you wrote to the Dean went a long way to clearing my name.”
“The least I could do,” she said softly.
“I still think you should come back to the school with us,” Archer said, his eyes dancing. “Think of the pranks we could play.” Morgan shot him a look across the table. “Too soon?”
“As much as I’ll miss you all, I’m happy staying put for a while,” Inota said, gesturing at the Palace around them. “It’s been a long time since I’ve called anywhere home. I’m looking forward to getting to know it a little better.” She smiled. “And I’ve made Callan promise to come home every weekend.”
